Childrens Games - Part 1

An amusing game for children is one in which each child is to make some sort of animal out of vegetables or fruit, and toothpicks.

When all the children have arrived, pass around slips of paper containing a number and the name of some animal. Each one must keep secret what his animal is to be.

Let the hostess prepare a basket of vegetables, potatoes, beets, carrots, and fruits, lemons, bananas, etc., suitable for the occasion, from which the children can take their choice to make their animals. Plenty of toothpicks must be provided for the legs, ears and tails. Allow five minutes for constructing the creatures.

Then collect the specimens, pinning a number corresponding to the one on the slip, to its back, and arrange the "show" on a table. Many queer sights will be seen.

The children, having received pencil and paper, should be told to write down the number of each animal, and opposite it what the animal is intended to represent.

A prize can be given to the one who has guessed the greatest number correctly.

CHASE THE RABBIT

All the children kneel on the floor in a ring with hands on each other's shoulders.

One is chosen to be the "rabbit" and runs around outside the ring and touches one of the players, who is to chase him to his "hole."

The minute the player is touched he must run to the left, while the rabbit goes to the
right, must tag the rabbit when they pass each other and try to get back to the "hole" again. If he fails, he becomes the "rabbit," and the game goes on as before.

SOAP-BUBBLE CONTEST

Provide each child with a clay pipe and prepare two basins of soap suds for the game. If a little glycerine is put in the water, the bubbles will last longer.

Divide the company into two sides, an even number in each. Stretch a cord or rope at a medium height across the middle of the room. Two children, one from each side, play at a time. Each stands on his side, blows the bubble from the pipe and blows it toward the opposite side, and over the rope if he can. If it goes over the rope without breaking, he has won one point for his side, if not, his side has lost. Tally is kept as each set plays, and the side that has the most points, wins, and surely deserves a prize.

ROSE GUESS

Any child can play this simple game. Take a full blown rose and hold it up where all can see it, then let them write on a slip of paper how many petals they think are in the rose.

The petals are then counted by one of the children and the one who guesses the nearest, receives a prize.

Any flower with many petals, can be used.

NEW BLIND MAN'S BUFF

The one who is chosen for the "blind man" does not have his eyes bandaged as in the old game.

Stretch a sheet between two doors and place a light, candle or lamp, on a table some distance from the sheet. The "blind man" sits on the floor or low chair in front of the light facing the sheet, but he must be so low down that his shadow will not appear on the sheet.

The children form a line and march single file between the light and the "blind man,"
who is not allowed to turn around. Thus their shadows are thrown on the sheet and as they pass, the "blind man" must guess who they are. The children may disguise their walk and height, so as to puzzle him.

As soon as the "blind man" guesses one correctly, that one takes his place and becomes "blind man," while the former takes his place in the procession, and the game proceeds as before, but the children had better change places, so the new "blind man" won't know their positions.

FINDING FLOWERS

A very simple game for children is one played like the old-fashioned "London Bridge:" Two children with joined hands stand opposite each other, and the rest form a ring and pass under the raised hands, while they repeat,

"We're seeking a pansy, a pansy, a pansy, We've found one here:"

As they say "here," the raised hands close around the child who was passing by, and "Pansy" takes the place of the one who caught her, and she names some other flower which is to be found, and the game goes on as before, substituting that flower for pansy.

Then it continues until all the flowers are "found:"

BEAN-BAG CONTEST

Prepare an even number of bean bags of moderate size, half of one color and half of another.

Appoint leaders, who choose the children for their respective sides. There should be an even number on each side. The opponents face each other, with the leader at the head, who has the bag of one color at his side.

The bags are to be passed, 1st, with right hand, 2nd, with left hand, 3rd, with both hands, 4th, with right hand over left shoulder, 5th, with left hand over right shoulder.

Before the contest begins, it is best to have a trial game, so all understand how to pass the bags.

At a given signal, the leaders begin, and pass the bags as rapidly as possible down the line, observing all the directions. The last one places them on a chair, until all have been passed, and then he sends them back, observing the same rules, until all have reached the leader.

The side who has passed them back to the leader first, and has done so successfully, is the winning side.

BLOWING THE FEATHERS

The children are seated on the floor, around a sheet or tablecloth. This is held tight by the players about 1 1/2 ft. from the floor, and a feather is placed in the middle.

One is chosen to be out, and at a given signal from the leader, the feather is blown from one to the other, high and low, never allowed to rest once.

The player outside runs back and forth, trying to catch the feather. When he does succeed, the person on whom it rested or was nearest to, must take his place.

SCHOOL

The players sit in a circle, and each takes the name of some article found in the schoolroom, such as desk, rubber, blackboard, etc.

One of the players stands in the center and spins a plate on end; as he does so, he calls out the name of an article which one of the players has taken.

The person named must jump up and catch the plate before it stops spinning.

If he is too slow, he must pay a forfeit. It is then his turn to spin the plate.

HIDE THE THIMBLE

All the players but one, leave the room. This one hides a thimble in a place not too conspicuous, but yet in plain sight.

Then the others come in, and hunt for the thimble; the first one seeing it, sits down and remains perfectly quiet until all the others have found it.

The first one who saw it, takes his turn to hide it.

GOALS--Three chairs, one at each end of the room and one in the center, at equal distance from others.

Two play at a time, one player from each side. The player stands in front of his goal and at the word "ready," fans his ball to the opposite goal. It must go through the back of the chair in the middle of the room, and through the opposite goal, in order to win. When all have finished playing, the team which has the most successful players in it, wins the game.

SPOOL FLOWER HUNT

Gather together as many spools as possible, marking. each with a separate letter, which, when put together, will form the name of some flower, such as: rose, violet, daisy, pansy, etc. Stand all the spools in a row, those forming names standing together.

One child, the gardener, gathers up all the spools and hides them in all the corners and out-of-the-way places in the room, only one spool being in each place. When all are hidden, the children are summoned in to hunt for the flowers.

The object is to find such spools as form a name. As the spools are found, the children see if the letters on them spell a flower.

When the hunt is over, the one having the most complete sets of flowers is the winner.

MARBLE CONTEST

Cut five holes of different sizes in the lid of a pasteboard box. Number the largest hole 5; the next largest 10; the next, 20; the next, 50; and the smallest, 100.

Place the box on the floor and give each child an equal number of marbles. The object of the game is to see which child can count the most by dropping the marbles into the box through the holes.

Each player in turn stands over the box, holds his arm out straight, even with the shoulder, and drops the marbles one by one into the box. If one goes through the
largest hole it counts 5, if through the smallest, ioo, and so on, count being kept for each player. The one scoring the greatest number of points is the winner.

PASSING BY

An amusement for children on a train, or at home when it is raining, is the following, and it will help to while away the time.

If there are several children, choose sides and appoint one to keep the count for his side. Each side sits by a different window and watches the passers-by. Every man counts 1; every women 2 ; baby 3 ;4 animal 5 ; white horse 10; black cat 50.

As a child sees someone passing, he calls out the number for his side; if a woman, he says 2 ; if a man and woman together, it will be 3, and so on.

If the children are looking upon the same street the side that calls its number out first adds it to its score. It is more exciting if the different sides have different streets to look out on.

If on a train, one side sits on the right and the other on the left, and when an object is seen, they call out right, 5, or left, as the case may be, for the mother, or older person to put down on the score card.

The side which succeeds in reaching ioo first is the winning side. If the trip is long, 500 can be the limit.

THE SERPENT'S TAIL

This is a Japanese game, and is played this way. All the children form a line, each resting his hands on the shoulders of the player in front of him. One child is chosen out, and is called the "catcher." The first child of the line, or "serpent," is called the "head," and the last one, the "tail."

The "catcher" stands about three feet from the "head" and when someone gives a signal he tries to catch the "tail" without pushing anyone, or breaking through the line.

The children forming the "body" defend the "tail," by moving about in any way they choose, but the line must never be broken, as the "tail" is considered caught if it is.

When the "tail" is caught, the "catcher" becomes "head," and the "tail" is then "catcher," the last child in the line being "tail," and the game goes on as before.

LITTLE BO-PEEP

Dress the little girl in whose honor the party is given as little Bo-peep, with a little crook. Hide small toy sheep all over the room in every nook and corner. As each child comes, give her a little stick fixed up like a crook, and tell the children to find the sheep.

After the hunt is over, award the child who found the most sheep some little prize. Each may keep the sheep she finds.

If the party is in honor of a little boy, change it to "Little Boy Blue," and have horns irstead of crooks.